Adoptable Horses

"Those who hope in the Lord...will soar on wings like eagles."

Isaiah 40:30-32

Adoptable Horses

One of our goals here at Spirit of Hope Farm is to help build positive human-horse relationships through helping the individual find a horse that will meet his or her needs. In this process, we work hard to find good homes for some of our horses that have come here from abusive, neglectful, or perilous situations.

We also hope to dispel the myth that rescued horses are no good. Au Contrair! These horses are living, breathing pillars of amazing fortitude and forgiveness that we humans would do well to mimic! Many times horses come here having been well-trained and cared for in the past but had unfortunate circumstances befall them. Time, patience, good farrier and veterinary care, and some good vittles go a long way to restoring these horses to wonderful riding and companion animals.

Adoption is a great way to gain a new equine friend while helping to provide a great future to a horse in need! We welcome your inquiries about a particular horse or our policies. We also welcome inquiries on fostering our horses awaiting permanent placement!

It is important for potential adopters to understand that these horses sometimes do have special requirements. Some horses may need a particular diet to sustain them while others need a particular kind of setting or a very skilled handler to foster their full recovery. Our goal here is to match each horse with a situation that will be in everyone's best interests. To achieve that end, we require potential adopters to fill out an adoption screening application and provide veterinary, farrier, and personal references.

We also assess an adoption fee for each horse for two very important reasons... 1) to discourage "adoptions" by unscrupulous dealers who will turn them around for meat or resell them for profit to an unwitting buyer; 2) As a test of ownership. Often people call wanting "free" horses. I believe that anyone who expects a horse to be free also expect them to be inexpensive to keep, which is definitely not the case! Also, I believe that if someone does not have any 'investment' in the horse, they will not feel as compelled to take good care of it, which is the same reason banks require homebuyers to put money down on a house! 3) to recoup a small portion of the expenses that we have incurred in that horse's recovery, like veterinary expenses for exams, medications and shots, special feeds, gelding surgeries, teeth floating, Coggin's testing, and farrier work. Without being able to recoup some monies, we simply cannot continue to help horses in need. Our minimum adoption fee is $500, our maximum is $1000.

Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae get bailed out

(and we don't mean the banks!)

On July 17th, we picked up two new owner-relinquished horses. Inadequate shelter and pasture, and both very underweight and somewhat dehydrated, we brought them home and both are already improving greatly!

Fannie Mae in need of a bailout

Fannie Mae is a lovely, 20 year old fleabitten gray Arabian (possibly Egyptian) mare. She unfortunately is significantly underweight, weighing about 700lbs (normal weight for her 14.3h should be more like 850-900lbs). The former owner reported that she had been used as a riding horse for her children as young as 8 years old. We will assess her suitability as a youth riding horse once she has recovered her weight and muscle tone. Dr. Sherburne evaluated her on 7/23/08 and believes that Fannie Mae's overall health is good in spite of being so thin (her BCS was assessed as a 2.5). She did seem quite stressed during the exam and does still need her teeth floated but that will be done in the fall on the farm under sedation rather than at the clinic. She has been vaccinated and Coggins tested. Fannie Mae is not yet available for adoption but folks interested in sponsoring or adopting Fannie Mae are welcome to inquire.

August 6 update: After only 3 weeks here, Fannie Mae has already gained about 75lbs! She is eating well and filling out nicely. The amazing thing is that all we have done is de-worm her with Ivermectin and feed her, nothing heroic needed, though she still needs her teeth floated, which will be done next month. We have also learned that Miss Fannie Bananie Mae (as we affectionately call her) is quite smart! She can slide open a sliding door and I have seen her work on a knot with her teeth. I'm sure if I hadn't busted her, she would have worked it loose, too. She and Freddie Mac are loving the round bales. The all-you-can-eat round bale buffet seems to suit them nicely!

August 30 update: Just 6 weeks after they arrived, Fannie Mae is looking GREAT! She now tapes at approximately 815lbs, still has a bit of weight yet to gain but she looks good and has lots of energy! Once she has built up a bit of muscle, we'll complete an under-saddle training assessment. Until then, she will just eat and hang out with her buddy Freddie Mac :)

Freddie Mac

Freddie Mac (pictured left) is a handsome 21 year old dark bay (looks black) gelding, likely an Arab cross, with three white socks and a star, stripe, and snip on his face. He also has a distinct brand on his right shoulder that looks something like this: D-) So far he has been decent to handle and has shown no aggression or overt fear. In fact, he and Fannie Mae will eat food out of the same bucket and neither will push the other off. His former owner reported that he is bold under saddle and is rideable by an advanced rider but it will be awhile until he is fit enough to ride again. Dr. Sherburne reports that, aside from being underweight (his BCS was assessed as a 3), he has a "musical murmur" that we will monitor for the time being. Dr. Sherburne administered basic vaccinations and in the fall will give Strangles and West Nile if his overall weight and condition improves. For now, Freddie Mac is not available for adoption but we do welcome adoption and sponsorship inquiries!

August 6 update: Freddie Mac is one seriously lovey dude! He is a lady-killer for sure. He always comes up to me for loves and hugs, which he is given in abundance! He has gained nicely as well, up about 50lbs since arrival 3 weeks ago. With another 50-100lbs and some muscle-building, he'll be gorgeous!

August 30 update: Freddie has filled out and is looking AWESOME! He weights about 835lbs, has regained a nice shiny coat, and is enjoying the turnout in the grassy paddock with Frannie and our cow, Moo. He is a nice nice horse, energetic but controllable. He is now ready for his training assessment which we hope to accomplish within the next week or so.

Miss Honey is sweet!

Miss Honey came to us with a sad history of severe abuse. We learned that she was beaten by a former owner in the face, which rendered her permanently blind in her left eye. This same horse had to endure the abuser's children throwing rocks and apples at her to make her run because they found it amusing. How sad for her and for society that these people were never punished for what they did to her. But now she is here and safe. The blindness in her left eye does not slow her down and she has full vision in the right eye. Other than her one eye being blind, Honey is quite healthy. She has been fully examined by our vet and given a clean bill of health. Our vet says he thinks she's around 10 years old based on her teeth. She has been vaccinated, de-wormed regularly, has had her feet trimmed routinely, and has a negative Coggins test. Honey is a nice manageable size, about 14.2h and about 900 lbs and we've been told is a Mustang/Standardbred cross. Honey is available for adoption or for a foster home now!

Update: Honey has become quite a love-bug here. She is very easy to work around now as long as you talk to her so she knows where you are in her space. She is not spooky or at all aggressive. What she needs is someone that she can bond with.. we believe that once she has found her "special person" there is nothing that she won't do to please him/her! I think her stout, hearty build will make her a great candidate for team penning, competitive trail, endurance, or all day trail riding. She will be started under saddle this spring with our trainer (and farrier) par-excellence, Katharine Horsey. We want to be sure she gets the best possible chance to find that special lifetime home!

June 1, 2008 Update: Honey just came back from training with Katharine Horsey. Katharine thinks she'll make a really nice trail/competitive trail/team penning horse and commented on how bold she is in spite of her left-eye blindness. Katharine reported that Honey went over and through anything she was pointed at with no trouble and no fear. She has been ridden here by our volunteers and staff as well and is well-started under saddle but will still need an intermediate or experienced rider on the trail as she can move right out! Honey also stands quietly in the cross-ties and for the farrier, and loves to be groomed! She is available now to a great home who wants a sound, sturdy, bold horse they can really enjoy.

July 30 update: We have ridden Honey a few times and she did great. She does need a solid rider to school her but she does not do anything naughty (no bucking, rearing, or any of that nonsense) just needs to be given clear direction and correction. She is very sound and at 10 years old a great age to adopt for many years of fun and companionship! Adoption fee: $500.

Cutter Late Bar

Cutter Late Bar, also known as "Bear," came to us from a loving home that could no longer afford to keep him. Bear is a handsome 23 year old 15.3h AQHA registered sorrel stallion. He is very well behaved for a stallion, though he does think he is 'all that!' He is up to date on all shots and had his teeth floated but he has significant wear on his molars so he cannot chew hay. In spite of that, he is doing very well on a diet of soaked Hay Stretcher, beet pulp and Carb Guard 3x a day. As is our policy, Bear is scheduled to be gelded in April and will be unavailable for adoption before then. In the meantime, we will be evaluating him for his training under saddle so we can find him the best possible human partner!

April 25 update: Bear is now a gelding! His surgery was uncomplicated and his recovery is going well. He will be available for adoption once he has fully recovered and we have worked with him under saddle.

June 1 update: Bear is now completely recovered from his gelding surgery and has really settled down quite a bit. He is easy to work around in his stall, does not bite or kick, but needs some more work in respect of space. He is very healthy and fit, well-muscled and has great feet. We are hoping to find him a home where he will be enjoyed and used often since he is very athletic. He is available for adoption now.

July 30 update: Bear has settled down nicely and has been ridden by volunteers and staff. He will be shown in hand and under saddle at the Maine Horse Rescue Alumni Benefit Horse Show on September 20th. He is a really nice horse and we're very surprised that he has not been adopted yet! Don't miss out on this marvelous boy!

Adoption fee: $500

Spirit of Hope Farm Equine Shelter & Rescue

Jen & Jess Winchester
853 Lebanon Rd.
Winterport, ME 04496
(207) 223-5928